First Responder or Citizen Defender

Chances are you have heard the term first responder. The term is widely used to refer to law enforcement or emergency medical personnel who are called to respond to a specific event. But who is a Citizen Defender and why are they critical in our society?

First responders do just that, they respond to incidents that have already occurred or are still developing. With the rare exception of police intuition, chance, or visible deterrence, first responders cannot protect citizens from becoming victims of crime. Depending on where you live or the time of day, a police response could take 1 minute or hours.

Take the 2018 active shooter event at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The first officer did not enter a school building until 11 minutes after the shooter fired his first round. This long response occurred despite a School Resource Officer already being on the campus. This is far from a condemnation of all police; although I believe the Resource Officer behaved exceptionally cowardly in this incident. ​

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Concealed Carriers Make a Difference

So who is the Citizen Defender? It is you, and me. The Citizen Defender is anyone who is on scene and chooses to take immediate action to intervene in especially violent acts against themselves, their loved ones or other innocent people such as an active shooter, rape, kidnapping, assault, act of terrorism.

Why is the Citizen Defender so important? Because studies, like the one conducted by Concealed Carry.com have shown that when an armed person is on scene of a shooting event, they are successful at saving lives by influencing the outcome of the event 94% of the time. Take a look at the recent church shooting in White Settlement, Texas. Two innocent people were murdered by a psychopath who entered the church armed with a concealed shotgun. The shooter was ultimately killed by an armed citizen named Jack Wilson within seconds of shooting the first victim. It isn't hard to imagine the number of victims would have been much higher had an average joe not been armed and present to immediately intervene.

Jack Wilson, the armed citizen who stopped an evil murderer.

The Second Amendment

Our constitutionally protected right to bear arms provides those who choose to carry a firearm, with an effective tool they can use to stop evil when it manifests. The firearm is a great equalizer and useful in many incidents. However, it is not the only, or even best tool in all situations. Professional self-defense, medical and firearm training, situational awareness and a proper mindset are ideal for anyone prepared to intervene.

Flowers left in tribute lay at the Wall of Names along the flight path of Flight 93.

The desire to heroically intervene was on display when brave citizens took back flight 93 from evil terrorists on the morning of September 11th, 2001. These Citizen Defenders gave up their lives to save so many others. They fought with weapons of opportunity, but most of all a determination that they would not passively surrender to the terrorists.​Being a Citizen Defender goes beyond having the latest everyday carry (EDC) gun and gear. It originates in the mind and heart of the person.